Updating meshnet internet protocol maps in a mesh network

ABSTRACT

A method including determining, by a first device in a mesh network, that a second device has joined the mesh network; transmitting, by the first device based at least in part on determining that the second device has joined the mesh network, a request to receive communication information indicating a meshnet address associated with the second device; updating, by the first device based at least in part on receiving the meshnet address, a meshnet address map to indicate an association of the second device with the meshnet address; and transmitting, by the first device based at least in part on updating the meshnet address map, meshnet data to the second device utilizing the updated meshnet address map. Various other aspects are contemplated.

FIELD OF DISCLOSURE

Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to communications innetworks, and more particularly to updating meshnet internet protocol(IP) maps in a mesh network.

BACKGROUND

Users may rely on mesh networks (also referred to as “meshnets”) tocommunicate (e.g., transmit and/or receive) data among a plurality ofendpoints (e.g., user devices) via one or more Internet nodes (e.g.,bridges, switches, infrastructure devices, etc.). In an example, a meshnetwork may include a plurality of endpoints communicatively coupled toeach other directly or via the one or more Internet nodes. A meshnetwork in which all endpoints are communicatively coupled to each othermay be referred to as a fully connected network. Data transmitted by afirst endpoint, from among the plurality of endpoints, may be routedover the Internet via the one or more Internet nodes to a secondendpoint from among the plurality of endpoints. Also, data transmittedby the first endpoint may be routed to two or more endpoints from amongthe plurality of endpoints.

In a mesh network, the plurality of endpoints may cooperate with eachother to enable communication of the data among the plurality ofendpoints. In an example, one or more of the endpoints may participatein communication of the data. In this way, the mesh network may avoidrelying on a given endpoint for communication of the data. Some meshnetworks may have the ability to dynamically self-organize andself-configure the plurality of endpoints. This ability may allow suchmesh networks to enable dynamic distribution of workloads, particularlyin the event that one or more endpoints should fail. Further,installation overhead may be reduced.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, the present disclosure contemplates a method includingdetermining, by a first device in a mesh network, that a second devicehas joined the mesh network; transmitting, by the first device based atleast in part on determining that the second device has joined the meshnetwork, a request to receive communication information indicating ameshnet address associated with the second device; updating, by thefirst device based at least in part on receiving the meshnet address, ameshnet address map to indicate an association of the second device withthe meshnet address; and transmitting, by the first device based atleast in part on updating the meshnet address map, meshnet data to thesecond device utilizing the updated meshnet address map.

In another aspect, the present disclosure contemplates a first deviceincluding a memory and a processor configured to: determine, while incommunication with a second device in a mesh network, that a seconddevice has joined the mesh network; transmit, based at least in part ondetermining that the second device has joined the mesh network, arequest to receive communication information indicating a meshnetaddress associated with the second device; update, based at least inpart on receiving the meshnet address, a meshnet address map to indicatean association of the second device with the meshnet address; andtransmit, based at least in part on updating the meshnet address map,meshnet data to the second device utilizing the updated meshnet addressmap.

In another aspect, the present disclosure contemplates a non-transitorycomputer readable medium storing instructions, which when executed by aprocessor associated with a first device, cause the processor to:determine, while in communication with a second device in a meshnetwork, that a second device has joined the mesh network; transmit,based at least in part on determining that the second device has joinedthe mesh network, a request to receive communication informationindicating a meshnet address associated with the second device; update,based at least in part on receiving the meshnet address, a meshnetaddress map to indicate an association of the second device with themeshnet address; and transmit, based at least in part on updating themeshnet address map, meshnet data to the second device utilizing theupdated meshnet address map.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory innature and are intended to provide an understanding of the presentdisclosure without limiting the scope thereof. In that regard,additional aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosurewill be apparent to one skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate aspects of systems, devices,methods, and/or mediums disclosed herein and together with thedescription, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.Throughout this description, like elements, in whatever aspectdescribed, refer to common elements wherever referred to and referencedby the same reference number. The characteristics, attributes,functions, interrelations ascribed to a particular element in onelocation apply to those elements when referred to by the same referencenumber in another location unless specifically stated otherwise.

The figures referenced below are drawn for ease of explanation of thebasic teachings of the present disclosure; the extensions of the figureswith respect to number, position, relationship, and dimensions of theparts to form the following aspects may be explained or may be withinthe skill of the art after the following description has been read andunderstood. Further, exact dimensions and dimensional proportions toconform to specific force, weight, strength, and similar requirementswill likewise be within the skill of the art after the followingdescription has been read and understood.

The following is a brief description of each figure used to describe thepresent disclosure, and thus, is being presented for illustrativepurposes only and should not be limitative of the scope of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an example system associated with updatingmeshnet IP maps in a mesh network, according to various aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an example associated with updating meshnetIP maps in a mesh network, according to various aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an example flow associated with updatingmeshnet IP maps in a mesh network, according to various aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of an example process associated with updatingmeshnet IP maps in a mesh network, according to various aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of an example process associated with updatingmeshnet IP maps in a mesh network, according to various aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of an example process associated with updatingmeshnet IP maps in a mesh network, according to various aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of example devices associated with updatingmeshnet IP maps in a mesh network, according to various aspects of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of thepresent disclosure, reference will now be made to the aspectsillustrated in the drawings, and specific language may be used todescribe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitationof the scope of the disclosure is intended. Any alterations and furthermodifications to the described devices, instruments, methods, and anyfurther application of the principles of the present disclosure arefully contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art towhich the disclosure relates. In particular, it is fully contemplatedthat the features, components, and/or steps described with respect toone aspect may be combined with the features, components, and/or stepsdescribed with respect to other aspects of the present disclosure. Forthe sake of brevity, however, the numerous iterations of thesecombinations may not be described separately. For simplicity, in someinstances the same reference numbers are used throughout the drawings torefer to the same or like parts.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an example 100 associated with updatingmeshnet IP maps in a mesh network, according to various aspects of thepresent disclosure. Example 100 shows an architectural depiction ofincluded components. In some aspects, the components may include one ormore user devices 102 capable of communicating with a mesh networkservice provider (MSP) control infrastructure 104 for purposes ofobtaining mesh network services. In some aspects, the one or more userdevices 102 may communicate with the MSP control infrastructure 104 overa network 118. The MSP control infrastructure 104 may be controlled by amesh network service provider and may include an application programminginterface (API) 106, a user database 108, processing unit 110, and ameshnet database 112. In some aspects, a user device 102 may utilize aprocessing unit 116 and/or a client application 114, which is providedby the MSP control infrastructure 104, to communicate with the API 106.The API 106 may be capable of communicating with the user database 108and with the processing unit 110. Additionally, the processing unit 110may be capable of communicating with the meshnet database 112, which maybe capable of storing data associated with providing mesh networkservices.

The user device 102 may be a physical computing device capable ofhosting the client application 114 and of connecting to the network 118.The user device 102 may be, for example, a laptop, a mobile phone, atablet computer, a desktop computer, a smart device, a router, or thelike. In some aspects, the user device 102 may include, for example,Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices such as MSP smart home appliances,smart home security systems, autonomous vehicles, smart health monitors,smart factory equipment, wireless inventory trackers, biometric cybersecurity scanners, or the like. The network 118 may be any digitaltelecommunication network that permits several nodes to share and accessresources. In some aspects, the network 118 may include one or morenetworks such as, for example, a local-area network (LAN), a wide-areanetwork (WAN), a campus-area network (CAN), a metropolitan-area network(MAN), a home-area network (HAN), Internet, Intranet, Extranet, andInternetwork.

The MSP control infrastructure 104 may include a combination of hardwareand software components that enable provision of mesh network servicesto the user device 102. The MSP control infrastructure 104 may interfacewith (the client application on) the user device 102 via the API 106,which may include one or more endpoints to a defined request-responsemessage system. In some aspects, the API 106 may be configured toreceive, via the network 118, a connection request from the user device102 to establish a connection with the MSP control infrastructure 104for purposes of obtaining the mesh network services. The connectionrequest may include an authentication request to authenticate the userdevice 102. The API 106 may receive the authentication request and arequest for the mesh network services in a single connection request. Insome aspects, the API 106 may receive the authentication request and therequest for the mesh network services in separate connection requests.

The API 106 may further be configured to handle the connection requestby mediating the authentication request. For instance, the API 106 mayreceive from the user device 102 credentials including, for example, aunique combination of a user ID and password for purposes ofauthenticating the user device 102. In another example, the credentialsmay include a unique validation code known to an authentic user. The API106 may provide the received credentials to the user database 108 forverification.

The user database 108 may include a structured repository of validcredentials belonging to authentic users. In one example, the structuredrepository may include one or more tables containing valid uniquecombinations of user IDs and passwords belonging to authentic users. Inanother example, the structured repository may include one or moretables containing valid unique validation codes associated withauthentic users. The mesh network service provider may add or deletesuch valid unique combinations of user IDs and passwords from thestructured repository at any time. Based at least in part on receivingthe credentials from the API 106, the user database 108 and a processor(e.g., the processing unit 110 or another local or remote processor) mayverify the received credentials by matching the received credentialswith the valid credentials stored in the structured repository. In someaspects, the user database 108 and the processor may authenticate theuser device 102 when the received credentials match at least one of thevalid credentials. In this case, the mesh network service provider mayprovide mesh network services to the user device 102. When the receivedcredentials fail to match at least one of the valid credentials, theuser database 108 and the processor may fail to authenticate the userdevice 102. In this case, the mesh network service provider may declineto provide mesh network services to the user device 102.

When the user device 102 is authenticated, the user device 102 mayinitiate a connection and may transmit to the API 106 a request for themesh network services. The processing unit 110 included in the MSPcontrol infrastructure 104 may be configured to determine a mesh networkassociated with the user device 102 and/or to identify one or more userdevices to be included within the determined mesh network. Theprocessing unit 110 may utilize the API 106 to transmit informationassociated with the mesh network and/or the identified one or more userdevices to the user device 102. The user device 102 may transmit aninitiation request to establish secure connections (e.g., encryptedtunnels) with the one or more user devices. In some aspects, the one ormore user devices with which the user device 102 establishes the secureconnections may also host respective client applications forcommunicating with the MSP control infrastructure 104 and/or with theuser device 102. In some aspects, the processing unit 110 may be alogical unit including a logical component configured to perform complexoperations associated with computing, for example, numerical weightsrelated to various factors associated with providing the meshnetservices.

One or more components (e.g., API 106, user database 108, processingunit 110, and/or meshnet database 112, processing unit 116) included inthe MSP control infrastructure 104 and/or included in the user device102 may further be associated with a controller/processor, a memory, acommunication interface, or a combination thereof (e.g., FIG. 7 ). Forinstance, the one or more components of the set of components mayinclude or may be included in a controller/processor, a memory, or acombination thereof. In some aspects, the one or more of the componentsincluded in the MSP control infrastructure 104 may be separate anddistinct from each other. Alternatively, in some aspects, the one ormore of the components included in the MSP control infrastructure 104may be combined with one or more of the other components. In someaspects, the one or more of the components included in the MSP controlinfrastructure 104 and/or the user device 102 may be local with respectto each other. Alternatively, in some aspects, one or more of thecomponents included in the MSP control infrastructure 104 and/or theuser device 102 may be located remotely with respect to one or more ofother components included in the MSP control infrastructure 104 and/orthe user device 102. Additionally, or alternatively, one or morecomponents of the components included in the MSP control infrastructure104 and/or the user device 102 may be implemented at least in part assoftware stored in a memory. For example, a component (or a portion of acomponent) may be implemented as instructions or code stored in anon-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by a controlleror a processor to perform the functions or operations of the component.Additionally, or alternatively, a set of (one or more) components shownin FIG. 1 may be configured to perform one or more functions describedas being performed by another set of components shown in FIG. 1 .

As indicated above, FIG. 1 is provided as an example. Other examples maydiffer from what is described with regard to FIG. 1 .

Endpoints (e.g., user devices) may rely on a mesh network to communicate(e.g., transmit and/or receive) meshnet data among the endpoints. Inexample 200 shown in FIG. 2 , the endpoints may include a first userdevice, a second user device, a third user device, and/or a fourth userdevice. The meshnet data may be communicated using wired communicationsand/or wireless communications over a network such as, for example, theInternet. The meshnet data may include any information including digitalinformation such as, for example, documents including data, voice data,image data, signal data, and/or video data. Further, the internal meshnetwork may be a secure mesh network that may enable the endpoints tocommunicate the meshnet data in encrypted form via meshnet connections(shown as double-ended arrows in FIG. 2 ).

The endpoints may utilize meshnet IP addresses to communicate themeshnet data. In an example, the first user device may transmit a firstmeshnet IP packet to the second user device. The first meshnet IP packetmay indicate a first meshnet IP address associated with the first userdevice as a source meshnet IP address and a second meshnet IP addressassociated with the second user device as a destination meshnet IPaddress. Similarly, the first user device may receive a second meshnetpacket from the second user device. The second meshnet IP packet mayindicate the second meshnet IP address as the source meshnet IP addressand the first meshnet IP address as the destination meshnet IP address.

All endpoints in the mesh network may refer to a meshnet IP address mapto determine meshnet IP addresses associated with other endpoints in themesh network to enable communication of meshnet data. In an example, thefirst user device may refer to a first meshnet IP address map associatedwith the first user device that indicates an association of the seconduser device with the second meshnet IP address (and associations ofother endpoints in the mesh network with respective meshnet IPaddresses), the second user device may refer to a second meshnet IPaddress map associated with the second user device that indicates anassociation of the first user device with the first meshnet IP address(and associations of other endpoints in the mesh network with respectivemeshnet IP addresses), and so on.

A meshnet IP address may be assigned to a given endpoint when the givenendpoint first joins the mesh network. In some cases, such assignment ofthe meshnet IP address to the given endpoint may be permanent such thatthe assigned meshnet IP address may not be assigned to another endpoint.In an example, the first meshnet IP address may be permanently assignedto the first user device such that the first IP address may not beassigned to another endpoint, the second meshnet IP address may bepermanently assigned to the second user device such that the second IPaddress may not be assigned to another endpoint, and so on.

The permanent assignment of meshnet IP addresses may be infeasiblebecause a limited amount of meshnet IP addresses may be available forassignment, leaving fewer and fewer meshnet IP addresses available forendpoints that additionally join the mesh network. At some stage, nomeshnet IP address may remain available for assignment. Further, thepermanent assignment of meshnet IP addresses may be inefficient and/orwasteful because a given endpoint may join the mesh network to completea given task, and upon completion of the given task, the given endpointmay leave the mesh network without joining the mesh network again. Inthis case, a meshnet IP address permanently assigned to the givenendpoint may remain underutilized.

To avoid the infeasibility and/or inefficiency associated with permanentassignment of meshnet IP addresses, the meshnet IP addresses may betemporarily assigned based at least in part on an endpoint joiningand/or leaving the mesh network. In an example, an original meshnet IPaddress may be temporarily assigned to the second user device based atleast in part on the second user device first joining the mesh network.Further, the original meshnet IP address may be unassigned (e.g.,disassociated) from the second user device based at least in part on thesecond user device leaving the mesh network such that the originalmeshnet IP address is available for reassignment to another user device.When the second user device rejoins the mesh network, a new meshnet IPaddress is temporarily assigned to the second user device. In this case,when the second user device leaves and rejoins the mesh network suchthat the new meshnet IP address is assigned to the second user device,the second user device may utilize the new meshnet IP address tocommunicate meshnet data in the mesh network.

The first user device may, however, fail to communicate meshnet datawith the second user device. For instance, when the second user devicefirst joins the mesh network and is assigned to the original meshnet IPaddress, the first user device may receive communication informationindicating the association of the second user device with the originalmeshnet IP address. The first user device may store the association ofthe second user device with the original meshnet IP address in the firstmeshnet IP address map associated with the first user device.

When determining the meshnet IP packet for transmission to the seconduser device, the first user device may refer to the first meshnet IPaddress map that indicates the association of the second user devicewith the original meshnet IP address. As such, the first user device maytransmit the first meshnet IP packet to the original meshnet IP addressas the destination address. A client application associated with thesecond user device responsible for processing meshnet IP packets (e.g.,meshnet data) may drop the first meshnet IP packet because thedestination address is different from the new meshnet IP address.

As a result, the first user device (and other endpoints in the meshnetwork) may fail to communicate meshnet data with the second userdevice, and communication between an endpoint and the second user devicemay be interrupted. Further, the first user device and/or the otherendpoints in the mesh network may retransmit the meshnet data to ensurereceipt thereof by the second user device. Such transmission andretransmission of meshnet data may inefficiently consume user deviceresources (e.g., processing resources, memory resources, powerconsumption resources, battery life, or the like) and network resources(computational resources, network bandwidth, management resources,processing resources, memory resources, or the like) that can otherwisebe utilized to perform suitable tasks associated with the mesh network.The above discussion with respect to the first user device and/or thesecond user device may also apply to the one or more other user devicesin the mesh network.

Various aspects of systems and techniques discussed in the presentdisclosure enable updating meshnet IP maps in a mesh network. In someaspects, an MSP control infrastructure may provide the mesh network toenable endpoints to securely communicate meshnet data. Further, the MSPcontrol infrastructure may provide the endpoints with respective clientapplications to communicate with the MSP control infrastructure, tocommunicate with each other for setting up respective meshnetconnections to be utilized for communicating meshnet data in the meshnetwork, and/or to communicate the meshnet data (e.g., meshnetcommunications) with each other over the respective meshnet connections.The MSP control infrastructure and the respective client applicationsmay also enable updating meshnet IP maps in the mesh network. In someaspects, a first client application associated with the first userdevice may update a first meshnet IP address map associated with thefirst user device. In some aspects, the first meshnet IP address map maybe updated based at least in part on determining that a given endpoint(e.g., user device) has joined the mesh network. In an example, thegiven endpoint may have joined the mesh network for the first time. Inanother example, the given endpoint may have rejoined the mesh networkafter being disconnected from the mesh network (e.g., after leaving themesh network). Based at least in part on determining that the givenendpoint has joined or rejoined the mesh network, the first user devicemay transmit a request to receive communication information indicatingan association of the given endpoint with an assigned meshnet IPaddress. In some aspects, the first meshnet IP address map may beupdated based at least in part on receiving communication informationindicating that the given endpoint has joined the mesh network and/orthe association of the given endpoint with an assigned meshnet IPaddress. In this way, the first user device may utilize the currentlyassigned meshnet IP address to communicate with the given endpoint, andcommunication between the first user device and the other endpoint maycontinue uninterrupted. Further, instances of inefficient transmissionsand retransmissions of communications by the first user device (andother endpoints in the mesh network) to the given endpoint may bemitigated. As a result, the MSP control infrastructure and therespective client applications may enable efficient utilization of userdevice resources (e.g., processing resources, memory resources, powerconsumption resources, battery life, or the like) and network resources(computational resources, network bandwidth, management resources,processing resources, memory resources, or the like) for performingsuitable tasks associated with the mesh network.

In some aspects, a processor (e.g., processing unit 116, processor 720)associated with a user device may determine, while in communication witha second device and/or in communication with an MSP controlinfrastructure in a mesh network, that a second device has joined themesh network; transmit, based at least in part on determining that thesecond device has joined the mesh network, a request to receivecommunication information indicating a meshnet address associated withthe second device; update, based at least in part on receiving themeshnet address, a meshnet address map to indicate an association of thesecond device with the meshnet address; and transmit, based at least inpart on updating the meshnet address map, meshnet data to the seconddevice utilizing the updated meshnet address map.

As indicated above, FIG. 2 is provided as an example. Other examples maydiffer from what is described with regard to FIG. 2 .

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an example flow 300 associated withupdating meshnet IP maps in a mesh network, according to various aspectsof the present disclosure. The example flow 300 may include a first userdevice (e.g., first endpoint), MSP control infrastructure 104, and asecond user device (e.g., second endpoint) in communication with eachother. The first user device and the second user device may be similarto a user device 102 discussed above with respect to FIG. 1 . In someaspects, the first user device and the second user device may beassociated with a single account registered with the MSP controlinfrastructure 104. In some aspects, the first user device and thesecond user device may be associated with different accounts registeredwith the MSP control infrastructure 104. In some aspects, the first userdevice and the second user device may be located locally (e.g., in thesame room, in the same building, etc.). In some aspects, the first userdevice and the second user device may be located remotely (e.g., indifferent buildings, in different cities, in different states, indifferent countries, etc.) with respect to each other.

The first user device may install a first client application (e.g.,client application 104) and the second user device may install a secondclient application (e.g., client application 104), the first clientapplication and the second client application being associated with(e.g., provided by) the MSP control infrastructure 104. The first userdevice and the second user device may use the respective clientapplications to communicate with an application programming interface(API) and/or a processor (e.g., processing unit 110, processor 720)associated with the MSP control infrastructure 104. In some aspects, thefirst user device, the MSP control infrastructure 104, and the seconduser device may communicate with each other over a network (e.g.,network 118). As discussed elsewhere herein, the MSP controlinfrastructure 104 may enable the first user device and/or the seconduser device to obtain the mesh network services.

In some aspects, the client applications may enable the user devices toreceive information to be processed by the client applications and/or bythe MSP control infrastructure 104. Each of the client applications mayinclude respective graphical user interfaces to receive the informationvia local input interfaces (e.g., touch screen, keyboard, mouse,pointer, etc.) associated with the user devices. The information may bereceived via text input or via a selection from among a plurality ofoptions (e.g., pull down menu, etc.). In some aspects, the first clientapplication and/or the second client application may activate and/orenable, at a time associated with the registration (e.g., after theregistration), the graphical interface for receiving the information.For instance, the first client application (or the second clientapplication) may cause a screen (e.g., local screen) associated with thefirst user device (or the second user device) to display, for example, apop-up message to request entry of the information. Further, the clientapplications may enable transmission of at least a portion of theinformation to the MSP control infrastructure 104. In some aspects, thefirst client application may utilize a first processing unit (e.g.,processing unit 116, processor 720) associated with the first userdevice to perform processes/operations associated with obtaining themesh network services and the second application may utilize a secondprocessing unit (e.g., processing unit 116, processor 720) associatedwith the second user device to perform processes/operations associatedwith obtaining the mesh network services.

Although only two user devices (e.g., endpoints) are shown in FIG. 3 ,the present disclosure contemplates the mesh network to include anynumber of user devices that perform the processes discussed herein in asimilar and/or analogous manner. For instance, the mesh network mayinclude a third user device and a fourth user device, as discussed abovewith respect to FIG. 2 , that perform the processes discussed herein ina similar and/or analogous manner. Further, user devices may leave orjoin the mesh network in an ad-hoc manner.

As shown by reference numeral 305, the first user device may register anaccount with the MSP control infrastructure 104. In some aspects, duringthe registration, the first user device may provide registrationinformation such as, for example, identity of an owner of the first userdevice, a phone number associated with the first user device, an emailaddress associated with the first user device, or the like. In someaspects, the first user device may set up an access system includinglogin information (e.g., access information) such as, for example,username, password, or the like to subsequently gain access to theregistered account. In some aspects, the first user device may share thelogin information with other user devices (e.g., second user device)associated with the first user device to enable the other user devicesto utilize the login information to gain access to the MSP controlinfrastructure 104 via the registered account. In some aspects, a givenuser device may be associated with the first user device because thegiven user device may be available to a user/owner of the first userdevice. In some aspects, when the second user device is not associatedwith the registered account associated with the first user device, thesecond user device may register a different account with the MSP controlinfrastructure 104.

In some aspects, the first user device and the second user device mayutilize the login information to access the registered account/accountsto communicate with the MSP control infrastructure 104. As shown byreference numeral 310, based at least in part on the first user deviceand the second user device accessing the registered account/accounts tocommunicate with the MSP control infrastructure 104, the MSP controlinfrastructure 104 may transmit, and the first client application andthe second client application may receive, MSP access information. Insome aspects, the MSP access information may include UDP accessinformation. The UDP access information may include informationregarding an infrastructure UDP IP address and an infrastructure UDPport associated with the MSP control infrastructure 104. The MSP controlinfrastructure 104 may utilize the infrastructure UDP IP address and theinfrastructure UDP port to communicate utilizing the UDP. In someaspects, the first user device and the second user device may utilizethe infrastructure UDP IP address and the infrastructure UDP port tocommunicate with the MSP control infrastructure 104 regarding the meshnetwork. Further, the first client application and the second clientapplication may obtain from, for example, a domain name services (DNS)server, transmission control protocol (TCP) access informationassociated with the MSP control infrastructure 104. Such TCP accessinformation may include information regarding an infrastructure TCP IPaddress and an infrastructure TCP port associated with the MSP controlinfrastructure 104. The MSP control infrastructure 104 may utilize theinfrastructure TCP IP address and the infrastructure TCP port tocommunicate utilizing the TCP.

As shown by reference numeral 315, the first client application and thesecond client application may determine information based at least inpart on the registration of the account/accounts with the MSP ControlInfrastructure 104. In an example, the first client application maydetermine an asymmetric first assigned key pair associated with thefirst user device. The first assigned key pair may be unique to thefirst user device and may include a first assigned public key and afirst assigned private key. In this way, the first assigned public keyand the first assigned private key may be device-specific and maybeassociated with the registered account. In some aspects, the firstassigned public key and the first assigned private key may be associatedwith each other via, for example, a mathematical function. As a result,data encrypted using the first assigned public key may be decrypted byutilizing the first assigned private key.

Similarly, the second client application may determine an asymmetricsecond assigned key pair associated with the second user device. Thesecond assigned key pair may be unique to the second user device and mayinclude a second assigned public key and a second assigned private key.In this way, the second assigned public key and the second assignedprivate key may be device-specific and maybe associated with theregistered account. In some aspects, the second assigned public key andthe second assigned private key may be associated with each other via,for example, a mathematical function. As a result, data encrypted usingthe second assigned public key may be decrypted by utilizing the secondassigned private key.

As shown by reference numeral 320, the client applications may transmit,and the MSP control infrastructure 104 may receive, at least a portionof the information determined by the client applications. For instance,the first client application may transmit, for example, the firstassigned public key to the MSP control infrastructure 104 and the secondclient application may transmit, for example, the second assigned publickey to the MSP control infrastructure 104. The MSP controlinfrastructure 104 may store and correlate the received information inassociation with the registered account and/or with the respective userdevices. In an example, the MSP control infrastructure 104 may store andcorrelate the first assigned public key in association with theregistered account and the first user device, and may store andcorrelate the second assigned public key in association with theregistered account and the second user device. In some aspects, thefirst client application and the second client application may utilizethe infrastructure TCP IP address and the infrastructure TCP port totransmit the first assigned public key and the second assigned publickey to the MSP control infrastructure 104 via the TCP.

Further, as shown by reference numeral 325, the MSP controlinfrastructure 104 may determine that the first user device and thesecond user device are to be included in the same mesh network. In someaspects, when the first user device and the second user device areassociated with the same registered account, the MSP controlinfrastructure 104 may make such a determination regarding the securemesh network based at least in part on determining that the first userdevice and the second user device are communicating with the MSP controlinfrastructure 104 by utilizing the login information associated withthe same registered account. In some aspects, when the first user deviceand the second user device are associated with different registeredaccounts, the MSP control infrastructure 104 may make such adetermination regarding the secure mesh network based at least in parton the first user device (and/or the second user device) providinginformation indicating that the first user device and the second userdevice are to be included in the same mesh network. Such information mayinclude, for example, identification information (e.g., type of device,user name, email address, etc.) associated with the second user device(or the first user device), the second IP address (or the first IPaddress), or the like.

Based at least in part on determining that the first user device and thesecond user device are to be included in the same mesh network, as shownby reference numeral 330, the MSP control infrastructure 104 maydetermine meshnet IP addresses for the first user device and for thesecond user device. In an example, the MSP control infrastructure 104may determine a first meshnet IP address associated with the first userdevice and a second meshnet IP address associated with the second userdevice. The first client application and/or another applicationinstalled on the first user device and/or the operating systemassociated with the first user device may utilize the first meshnet IPaddress and/or the first local meshnet port to communicate data with theendpoints over meshnet connections in the mesh network and the seconduser device may utilize the second meshnet IP address and/or the secondlocal meshnet port to communicate data with the endpoints over themeshnet connections in the mesh network. In an example, with respect tocommunication between the first user device and the second user device,the first user device may determine a first meshnet IP packet indicatingthe first meshnet IP address as a source address, the first localmeshnet port as a source port, the second meshnet IP address as adestination address, and the second local meshnet port as a destinationport. The first user device may encrypt and encapsulate the firstmeshnet IP packet within a payload of a transmitted UDP IP packet. Thesecond user device may receive the UDP IP packet, may decrypt the firstmeshnet IP packet, and may route the first meshnet IP packet to thesecond local meshnet port. Similarly, the second user device maydetermine a second meshnet IP packet indicating the second meshnet IPaddress as a source address, the second local meshnet port as a sourceport, the first meshnet IP address as a destination address, and thefirst local meshnet port as a destination port. The second user devicemay encrypt and encapsulate the second meshnet IP packet within apayload of a transmitted UDP IP packet. The first user device mayreceive the UDP IP packet, may decrypt the first meshnet IP packet, andmay route the second meshnet IP packet to the first local meshnet port.The MSP control infrastructure 104 may determine the first meshnet IPaddress and the second meshnet IP address from, for example, a pool ofreserved IP addresses included in a subnet associated with an internalnetwork of the ISP.

As shown by reference numeral 335, the first user device and the seconduser device may transmit, and the MSP control infrastructure 104 mayreceive, respective binding requests. In some aspects, the first userdevice may transmit the first binding request to the MSP controlinfrastructure 104 using the UDP by utilizing the UDP access informationreceived from the MSP control infrastructure 104 (e.g., block 320). Inthis case, the first user device may transmit a first binding request tothe MSP control infrastructure 104 to request the MSP controlinfrastructure 104 to determine a first public UDP IP address (e.g.,communication address) and/or a first public UDP port (e.g.,communication port) associated with the first user device. As discussedbelow in further detail, the first public UDP IP address and/or thefirst public UDP port are to be utilized by the second user device tocommunicate with the first user device in the mesh network. Similarly,the second user device may transmit the second binding request to theMSP control infrastructure 104 using the UDP by utilizing the UDP accessinformation received from the MSP control infrastructure 104 (e.g.,block 320). In this case, the second user device may transmit a secondbinding request to the MSP control infrastructure 104 to request the MSPcontrol infrastructure 104 to determine a second public UDP IP address(e.g., communication address) and/or a second public UDP port (e.g.,communication port) associated with the second user device. As discussedbelow in further detail, the second UDP IP address and/or the second UDPport are to be utilized by the first user device to communicate with thesecond user device in the mesh network.

In some aspects, the first public UDP IP address and/or the first publicUDP port may be determined by a first NAT device (e.g., a router)responsible for managing operation of the first user device in a firstlocal network. In an example, the first NAT device may translate a firstlocal UDP IP address and/or a first local UDP port associated with thefirst user device to the first public UDP IP address and/or the firstpublic UDP port that the first user device utilizes to communicate(e.g., transmit and/or receive) over the Internet using the UDP.Similarly, the second public UDP IP address and/or the second public UDPport may be determined by a second NAT device responsible for managingoperation of the second user device in a second local network. In anexample, the second NAT device may translate a second local UDP IPaddress and/or a second local UDP port associated with the second userdevice to the second public UDP IP address and/or the second public UDPport that the second user device utilized to communicate (e.g., transmitand/or receive) over the Internet using the UDP.

Based at least in part on receiving the respective binding requests, asshown by reference numeral 340, the MSP control infrastructure 104 maydetermine public UDP IP addresses and/or public UDP ports associatedwith the first user device and the second user device. In an example,based at least in part on receiving the first binding request, the MSPcontrol infrastructure 104 may determine the first public UDP IP addressand/or the first public UDP port associated with the first user device.In some aspects, the MSP control infrastructure 104 may determine thefirst public UDP IP address and/or the first public UDP port based atleast in part on analyzing the UDP communication (e.g., UDP IP packet)including the first binding request received from the first user device.The UDP communication may include, for example, a header that indicatesthe first public UDP IP address as a source UDP IP address and/or thefirst public UDP port as a source UDP port associated with the firstuser device. Further, the MSP control infrastructure 104 may store andcorrelate the first public UDP IP address and/or the first UDP port inassociation with the first user device in, for example, the meshnetdatabase 112. Similarly, based at least in part on receiving the secondbinding request, the MSP control infrastructure 104 may determine thesecond public UDP IP address and/or the second public UDP portassociated with the second user device. In some aspects, the MSP controlinfrastructure 104 may determine the second public UDP IP address and/orthe second public UDP port based at least in part on analyzing the UDPcommunication (e.g., UDP IP packet) including the second binding requestreceived from the second user device. The UDP communication may include,for example, a header that indicates the second public UDP IP address asa source UDP IP address and/or the second public UDP port as a sourceUDP port associated with the second user device. Further, the MSPcontrol infrastructure 104 may store and correlate the second public UDPIP address and/or the second public UDP port in association with thesecond user device in, for example, the meshnet database 112.

Based at least in part on determining the public UDP IP addresses and/orthe public UDP ports, as shown by reference numeral 345, the MSP controlinfrastructure 104 may transmit, and the first client application andthe second client application may receive, communication information. Inan example, the MSP control infrastructure 104 may transmit, and thefirst client application may receive, first communication informationincluding the first meshnet IP address associated with the first userdevice, the second meshnet IP address associated with the second userdevice, the second public UDP IP address and/or the second public UDPport associated with the second user device, and the second public keyassociated with the second user device. Similarly, the MSP controlinfrastructure 104 may transmit, and the second client application mayreceive, second communication information including the first public UDPIP address and/or the first public UDP port associated with the firstuser device, the first public key associated with the first user device,the first meshnet IP address associated with the first user device, andthe second meshnet IP address associated with the second user device. Asdiscussed below in further detail, the above transmission ofcommunication information may enable the first user device and thesecond user device to communicate securely and privately in the meshnetwork.

As shown by reference numeral 350, the first client application and thesecond client application may communicate with each other directly toset up a meshnet connection (e.g., an encrypted tunnel) forcommunicating encrypted data in the mesh network. To set up the meshnetconnection, the first client application may utilize the second assignedpublic key and/or the second public IP address (e.g., second UDP IPaddress) to securely (e.g., in encrypted form) communicate with thesecond client application, and the second client application may utilizethe first assigned public key and/or the first public IP address (e.g.,first UDP IP address) to securely communicate with the first clientapplication. In some aspects, the first client application and thesecond client application may communicate to securely/privatelynegotiate parameters (e.g., a symmetric encryption/decryption key)associated with the meshnet connection. In some aspects, the parametersmay be randomly generated to provide optimized security to thecommunications. In an example, the first client application and thesecond client application may privately negotiate a randomly generatedsymmetric key that is to be utilized by the first client application andthe second client application for encrypting and decrypting datacommunicated via the meshnet connection. The randomly generatedsymmetric key may be determined based at least in part on anycombination of the first public key, the second public key, and/orrandomly generated numbers. Additionally, the first client applicationand the second client application may utilize a secure protocol (e.g.,Wireguard, IP sec, etc.) to communicate the data via the meshnetconnection.

Additionally, or alternatively, the first client application and thesecond client application may communicate with each other indirectlyvia, for example, a relay device (e.g., a relay server) to set up themeshnet connection. In an example, the first client application mayprovide the first assigned public key to a relay server, which may storean association of the first assigned public key with the first clientapplication. In some aspects, the association may include an associationbetween the first assigned public key and a first communicationconnection between the relay server and the first client application.Similarly, the second client application may provide the second assignedpublic key to the relay server, which may store an association of thesecond assigned public key with the second client application. In someaspects, the association may include an association between the secondassigned public key and a second communication connection between therelay server and the first client application. The relay server may relyon the stored associations of public keys and client applications todetermine a destination of a received message. In some aspects, therelay server may include a network of relay servers that enable thefirst client application and the second client application tocommunicate with each other. In this case, the first client applicationand the second client application may provide the respective assignedpublic keys to different relay servers included within the network ofrelay servers.

In some aspects, the first client application may transmit, to the relayserver, a first message that is to be delivered to the second clientapplication. Along with the first message, the first client applicationmay transmit the second assigned public key. Further, the first clientapplication may encrypt the first message utilizing the second assignedpublic key. In some aspects, the first client application may encryptthe first message based at least in part on utilizing the negotiatedrandomly generated symmetric key. Based at least in part on receivingthe encrypted first message and the second assigned public key, therelay server may determine from stored associations that the secondassigned public key is associated with the second client application. Asa result, the relay server may determine that the first message is to berelayed (e.g., transmitted) to the second client application. Similarly,the second client application may transmit, to the relay server, asecond message that is to be delivered to the first client application.Along with the second message, the second client application maytransmit the first assigned public key. Further, the second clientapplication may encrypt the second message utilizing the first assignedpublic key. In some aspects, the second client application may encryptthe second message based at least in part on utilizing the negotiatedrandomly generated symmetric key. Based at least in part on receivingthe encrypted second message and the first assigned public key, therelay server may determine from stored associations that the firstassigned public key is associated with the first client application. Asa result, the relay server may determine that the second message is tobe relayed (e.g., transmitted) to the first client application. In thisway, the relay server may enable the first client application and thesecond client application to communicate with each other to set up themeshnet connection.

Based at least in part on setting up the meshnet connection, the firstclient application and the second client application may begincommunicating encrypted data via the meshnet connection based at leastin part on utilizing the negotiated parameters and the secure protocol.In a similar and/or analogous manner, the first client application mayset up meshnet connections with a third client application installed inthe third client application and with a fourth client applicationassociated with the fourth client application. Also, in a similar and/oranalogous manner, the second client application may set up meshnetconnections with the first client application, the third clientapplication, and the fourth client application. Further, in a similarand/or analogous manner, the third client application may set up meshnetconnections with the first client application, the second clientapplication, and the fourth client application. Finally, in a similarand/or analogous manner, the fourth client application may set upmeshnet connections with the first client application, the second clientapplication, and the third client application. Additional clientapplications that enter the mesh network may also set up meshnetconnections with the other client applications included in the meshnetwork.

Further, based at least in part on setting up the meshnet connection, asshown by reference numeral 355, the first user device and/or the seconduser device may update respective meshnet IP address maps.

With respect to the first user device, the first client application maybe associated with a first meshnet IP address map. In some aspects, thefirst meshnet IP address map may be maintained (e.g., stored and/orupdated) by the first client application and may be stored in anelectronic memory (e.g., storage component 740) associated with thefirst user device. As discussed above with respect to block 345, basedat least in part on the MSP control infrastructure determining that agiven user device (e.g., second user device, third user device, fourthuser device, etc.) is to be included in the mesh network, the first userdevice may receive communication information indicating a given originalmeshnet IP address associated with the given user device. The firstclient application may store an association of the given user devicewith the given original meshnet IP address in the first meshnet IPaddress map. In an example, based at least in part on the MSP controlinfrastructure determining that the second user device, the third userdevice, and/or the fourth user device are to be included in the meshnetwork, the first user device may receive communication informationindicating respective original meshnet IP addresses associated with thesecond user device, the third user device, and/or the fourth userdevice. Further, the first client application may store an associationof the second user device with the original second meshnet IP address inthe first meshnet IP address map, an association of the third userdevice with the original third meshnet IP address in the first meshnetIP address map, and/or an association of the fourth user device with theoriginal fourth meshnet IP address in the first meshnet IP address map.

When a communication application (e.g., the first client applicationand/or another third-party application) associated with the first userdevice is to communicate meshnet data with, for example, the second userdevice, the communication application may determine a meshnet IP packetto be communicated with the second user device. The meshnet IP packetmay indicate the meshnet IP address associated with the second userdevice as a destination address. To determine the destination address,the communication application may issue a query to the first clientapplication for the meshnet IP address associated with the second userdevice. The query may be resolved by a domain name server (DNS) servicenative to the first client application by referring to the first meshnetIP address map. In some aspects, the DNS service may resolve the queryby referring to the first meshnet IP address map and returning themeshnet IP address (e.g., the original second meshnet IP address)associated with the second user device. Based at least in part onreceiving the original second meshnet IP address, the communicationapplication may determine the meshnet IP packet.

As discussed previously, the original second meshnet IP address may be atemporarily assigned meshnet IP address. In this case, when the seconduser device leaves the mesh network, the MSP control infrastructure 104may disassociate the original second meshnet IP address (e.g.,previously assigned meshnet IP address) from the second user device suchthat the original second meshnet IP address is available forreassignment to another user device. Further, when the second userdevice rejoins the mesh network, the MSP control infrastructure 104 mayassign a new second meshnet IP address (e.g., currently assigned meshnetIP address) to the second user device.

Based at least in part on determining that the second user device hasrejoined the mesh network, the first user device may transmit a requestto the MSP control infrastructure 104 for communication information thatindicates the new second meshnet IP address. In some aspects, the firstuser device may determine that the second user device has rejoined themesh network based at least in part on determining a connection orreconnection of the meshnet connection between the first user device andthe second user device. Based at least in part on receiving thecommunication information, the first client application may update thefirst meshnet IP address map to update the association of the seconduser device with the new second meshnet IP address.

Additionally, or alternatively, the first client application may receivecommunication information without transmitting the request to the MSPcontrol infrastructure 104. In an example, the MSP controlinfrastructure 104 may monitor operation of the mesh network. In someaspects, the MSP control infrastructure 104 may determine whether agiven user device included in the mesh network has left the mesh networkand/or an external user device outside the mesh network is to beincluded in the mesh network. When the MSP control infrastructure 104determines that the given user device included in the mesh network hasleft the mesh network, the MSP control infrastructure 104 maydisassociate a meshnet IP address associated with the given user devicesuch that the meshnet IP address may be available for reassignment.Further, when the MSP control structure 104 determines that the externaluser device is to be included in the mesh network, the MSP controlinfrastructure 104 may assign a meshnet IP address to the external userdevice.

Based at least in part on determining that the external user device isto be included in the mesh network and/or based at least in part onassigning the meshnet IP address to the external user device, the MSPcontrol infrastructure 104 may determine and transmit communicationinformation to the first user device. The communication may indicate anassociation of the external user device with the assigned meshnet IPaddress. Based at least in part on receiving the communicationinformation, the first client application may update the first meshnetIP address map to include the association of the external user devicewith a assigned meshnet IP address. When the external user device joinsor rejoins the mesh network, the first user device may utilize theassigned meshnet IP address to communicate with the external userdevice.

As a result, an issued query to the first client application for themeshnet IP address associated with a user device may be resolved by theDNS service by referring to the updated first meshnet IP address map. Inan example, the DNS service may resolve the query by referring to thefirst meshnet IP address map and returning the new second meshnet IPaddress associated with the second user device. Based at least in parton receiving the new second meshnet IP address, the communicationapplication may determine the meshnet IP packet indicating the newsecond meshnet IP address as the destination address. Because the newsecond meshnet IP address is the current meshnet IP address associatedwith the second user device, the second client application may acceptand process the meshnet IP packet transmitted by the first user deviceand received by the second user device.

In this way, the first user device may utilize the currently assignedmeshnet IP address to communicate with the second user device, andcommunication between the first user device and the second user devicemay continue uninterrupted. Further, instances of inefficienttransmissions and retransmissions of communications by the first userdevice (and other endpoints in the mesh network) to the second userdevice may be mitigated. As a result, the MSP control infrastructure andthe respective client applications may enable efficient utilization ofuser device resources (e.g., processing resources, memory resources,power consumption resources, battery life, or the like) and networkresources (computational resources, network bandwidth, managementresources, processing resources, memory resources, or the like) forperforming suitable tasks associated with the mesh network.

In some aspects, the other user devices (e.g., second user device, thirduser device, fourth user device, etc.) included in the mesh network mayupdate respective meshnet IP address maps in a similar and/or analogousmanner as discussed herein with respect to the first user device. Forinstance, the other user devices in the mesh network may, among otherthings, receive communication information and update respective meshnetIP address maps, as discussed herein. Additional user devices that enterthe mesh network may also update respective meshnet IP address maps, asdiscussed herein.

As indicated above, FIG. 3 is provided as an example. Other examples maydiffer from what is described with regard to FIG. 3 .

FIG. 4 is an illustration of an example process 400 associated withupdating meshnet IP maps in a mesh network, according to various aspectsof the present disclosure. In some aspects, the process 400 may beperformed by a memory and/or a processor/controller (e.g., processingunit 116, processor 720) associated with a user device/endpoint (e.g.,user device 102) running a client application. As shown by referencenumeral 410, process 400 may include determining, by a first device in amesh network, that a second device has joined the mesh network. Forinstance, a first device may utilize the associated memory and/orprocessor to determine, while in communication with a second device in amesh network, that a second device has joined the mesh network, asdiscussed elsewhere herein.

As shown by reference numeral 420, process 400 may include transmitting,by the first device based at least in part on determining that thesecond device has joined the mesh network, a request to receivecommunication information indicating a meshnet address associated withthe second device. For instance, the first device may utilize anassociated communication interface (e.g., communication interface 770)with the associated memory and/or processor to transmit, based at leastin part on determining that the second device has joined the meshnetwork, a request to receive communication information indicating ameshnet address associated with the second device, as discussedelsewhere herein.

As shown by reference numeral 430, process 400 may include updating, bythe first device based at least in part on receiving the meshnetaddress, a meshnet address map to indicate an association of the seconddevice with the meshnet address. For instance, a first device mayutilize the associated memory and/or processor to update, based at leastin part on receiving the meshnet address, a meshnet address map toindicate an association of the second device with the meshnet address,as discussed elsewhere herein.

As shown by reference numeral 440, process 400 may include transmitting,by the first device based at least in part on updating the meshnetaddress map, meshnet data to the second device utilizing the updatedmeshnet address map. For instance, the first device may utilize theassociated communication interface, memory, and/or processor totransmit, based at least in part on updating the meshnet address map,meshnet data to the second device utilizing the updated meshnet addressmap, as discussed elsewhere herein.

Process 400 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect orany combination of aspects described below and/or in connection with oneor more other processes described elsewhere herein.

In a first aspect, in process 400, determining that the second devicehas joined the mesh network includes determining that a meshnetconnection between the first device and the second device is connected.

In a second aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect, inprocess 400, transmitting the request to receive the communicationinformation includes transmitting the request to an infrastructuredevice associated with the mesh network.

In a third aspect, alone or in combination with the first through secondaspects, in process 400, updating the meshnet address map includesstoring the association of the second user device with the meshnetaddress in a memory associated with the first device.

In a fourth aspect, alone or in combination with the first through thirdaspects, in process 400, updating the meshnet address map includesreplacing an association of the second device with a previous meshnetaddress with the association of the second device with the meshnetaddress.

In a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with the first through fourthaspects, in process 400, transmitting the meshnet data includestransmitting a meshnet packet including the meshnet data, the meshnetpacket indicating the meshnet address as a destination address.

In a sixth aspect, alone or in combination with the first through fifthaspects, in process 400, transmitting the meshnet data includestransmitting encrypted meshnet data.

Although FIG. 4 shows example blocks of the process, in some aspects,the process may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, differentblocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in FIG. 4 .Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of the processmay be performed in parallel.

As indicated above, FIG. 4 is provided as an example. Other examples maydiffer from what is described with regard to FIG. 4 .

FIG. 5 is an illustration of an example process 500 associated withupdating meshnet IP maps in a mesh network, according to various aspectsof the present disclosure. In some aspects, the process 500 may beperformed by a memory and/or a processor/controller (e.g., processingunit 116, processor 720) associated with a user device/endpoint (e.g.,user device 102) running a client application. As shown by referencenumeral 510, process 500 may include receiving, by a first device incommunication with a second device in a mesh network, communicationinformation indicating a meshnet address associated with the seconddevice to be utilized for communicating meshnet data with the seconddevice. For instance, the user device (e.g., first user device) mayutilize a communication interface (e.g., communication interface 770)with the associated memory and/or processor to receive, while incommunication with a second device in a mesh network, communicationinformation indicating a meshnet address associated with the seconddevice to be utilized for communicating meshnet data with the seconddevice, as discussed elsewhere herein.

As shown by reference numeral 520, process 500 may include updating, bythe first device, a meshnet address map to indicate an association ofthe second user device with the meshnet address. For instance, the userdevice may utilize the associated communication interface, memory,and/or processor to update a meshnet address map to indicate anassociation of the second user device with the meshnet address, asdiscussed elsewhere herein.

Process 500 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect orany combination of aspects described below and/or in connection with oneor more other processes described elsewhere herein.

In a first aspect, in process 500, receiving the communicationinformation includes receiving the communication information based atleast in part on the second device joining the mesh network.

In a second aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect, inprocess 500, receiving the communication information includes receivingthe communication information from an infrastructure device associatedwith the mesh network.

In a third aspect, alone or in combination with the first through secondaspects, in process 500, receiving the communication informationincludes receiving the communication information without transmitting arequest to receive the communication information.

In a fourth aspect, alone or in combination with the first through thirdaspects, in process 500, updating the meshnet address map includesstoring the association of the second device with the meshnet address ina memory associated with the first device.

In a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with the first through fourthaspects, process 500 may include transmitting, by the first device basedat least in part on updating the meshnet address map, meshnet data tothe second device utilizing the updated meshnet address map.

In a sixth aspect, alone or in combination with the first through fifthaspects, process 500 may include resolving, by the first device, a queryfor information associated with the meshnet address by referring to themeshnet address map utilizing a local domain name system (DNS).

Although FIG. 5 shows example blocks of the process, in some aspects,the process may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, differentblocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in FIG. 5 .Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of the processmay be performed in parallel.

As indicated above, FIG. 5 is provided as an example. Other examples maydiffer from what is described with regard to FIG. 5 .

FIG. 6 is an illustration of an example process 600 associated withupdating meshnet IP maps in a mesh network, according to various aspectsof the present disclosure. In some aspects, the process 600 may beperformed by a memory and/or a processor/controller (e.g., processingunit 110, processor 720) associated with an infrastructure device MSPcontrol infrastructure 104 (e.g., user device 102). As shown byreference numeral 610, process 600 may include determining, by aninfrastructure device associated with a mesh network that includes afirst device, that a second device has joined the mesh network. Forinstance, the infrastructure device may utilize the associated memoryand/or processor to determine, based at least in part on beingassociated with a mesh network that includes a first device, that asecond device has joined the mesh network, as discussed elsewhereherein.

As shown by reference numeral 620, process 600 may include transmitting,by the infrastructure device to the first device based at least in parton determining that the second device has joined the mesh network,communication information indicating a meshnet address associated withthe second device to enable the first device to update a meshnet addressmap to indicate an association of the second device with the meshnetaddress. For instance, the infrastructure device may utilize anassociated communication interface (e.g., communication interface 770)along with the associated memory and/or processor to transmit, to thefirst device based at least in part on determining that the seconddevice has joined the mesh network, communication information indicatinga meshnet address associated with the second device to enable the firstdevice to update a meshnet address map to indicate an association of thesecond device with the meshnet address, as discussed elsewhere herein.

Process 600 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect orany combination of aspects described below and/or in connection with oneor more other processes described elsewhere herein.

In a first aspect, in process 600, determining that the second devicehas joined the mesh network includes determining that the second deviceis to be included in the mesh network.

In a second aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect,process 600 may include determining the meshnet address to be utilizedby the second device for communicating meshnet data in the mesh network.

In a third aspect, alone or in combination with the first through secondaspects, process 600 may include receiving, from the first device, arequest to transmit the communication information indicating the meshnetaddress associated with the second device.

In a fourth aspect, alone or in combination with the first through thirdaspects, process 600 may include transmitting the communicationinformation to the second device.

Although FIG. 6 shows example blocks of the process, in some aspects,the process may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, differentblocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in FIG. 6 .Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of the processmay be performed in parallel.

As indicated above, FIG. 6 is provided as an example. Other examples maydiffer from what is described with regard to FIG. 6 .

FIG. 7 is an illustration of example devices 700 associated withupdating meshnet IP maps in a mesh network, according to various aspectsof the present disclosure. In some aspects, the example devices 700 mayform part of or implement the systems, servers, environments,infrastructures, components, devices, or the like described elsewhereherein (e.g., MSP control infrastructure, user device, etc.) and may beused to perform example processes described elsewhere herein. Theexample devices 700 may include a universal bus 710 communicativelycoupling a processor 720, a memory 730, a storage component 740, aninput component 750, an output component 760, and a communicationinterface 770.

Bus 710 may include a component that permits communication amongmultiple components of a device 700. Processor 720 may be implemented inhardware, firmware, and/or a combination of hardware and software.Processor 720 may take the form of a central processing unit (CPU), agraphics processing unit (GPU), an accelerated processing unit (APU), amicroprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (DSP), afield-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), or another type of processing component. In someaspects, processor 720 may include one or more processors capable ofbeing programmed to perform a function. Memory 730 may include a randomaccess memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), and/or another type ofdynamic or static storage device (e.g., a flash memory, a magneticmemory, and/or an optical memory) that stores information and/orinstructions for use by processor 720.

Storage component 740 may store information and/or software related tothe operation and use of a device 700. For example, storage component740 may include a hard disk (e.g., a magnetic disk, an optical disk,and/or a magneto-optic disk), a solid state drive (SSD), a compact disc(CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a floppy disk, a cartridge, amagnetic tape, and/or another type of non-transitory computer-readablemedium, along with a corresponding drive.

Input component 750 may include a component that permits a device 700 toreceive information, such as via user input (e.g., a touch screendisplay, a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a button, a switch, and/or amicrophone). Additionally, or alternatively, input component 750 mayinclude a component for determining location (e.g., a global positioningsystem (GPS) component) and/or a sensor (e.g., an accelerometer, agyroscope, an actuator, another type of positional or environmentalsensor, and/or the like). Output component 760 may include a componentthat provides output information from device 700 (via, for example, adisplay, a speaker, a haptic feedback component, an audio or visualindicator, and/or the like).

Communication interface 770 may include a transceiver-like component(e.g., a transceiver, a separate receiver, a separate transmitter,and/or the like) that enables a device 700 to communicate with otherdevices, such as via a wired connection, a wireless connection, or acombination of wired and wireless connections. Communication interface770 may permit device 700 to receive information from another deviceand/or provide information to another device. For example, communicationinterface 770 may include an Ethernet interface, an optical interface, acoaxial interface, an infrared interface, a radio frequency (RF)interface, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a Wi-Fi interface, acellular network interface, and/or the like.

A device 700 may perform one or more processes described elsewhereherein. A device 700 may perform these processes based on processor 720executing software instructions stored by a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium, such as memory 730 and/or storage component740. As used herein, the term “computer-readable medium” may refer to anon-transitory memory device. A memory device may include memory spacewithin a single physical storage device or memory space spread acrossmultiple physical storage devices.

Software instructions may be read into memory 730 and/or storagecomponent 740 from another computer-readable medium or from anotherdevice via communication interface 770. When executed, softwareinstructions stored in memory 730 and/or storage component 740 may causeprocessor 720 to perform one or more processes described elsewhereherein. Additionally, or alternatively, hardware circuitry may be usedin place of or in combination with software instructions to perform oneor more processes described elsewhere herein. Thus, implementationsdescribed herein are not limited to any specific combination of hardwarecircuitry and software.

The quantity and arrangement of components shown in FIG. 7 are providedas an example. In practice, a device 700 may include additionalcomponents, fewer components, different components, or differentlyarranged components than those shown in FIG. 7 . Additionally, oralternatively, a set of components (e.g., one or more components) of adevice 700 may perform one or more functions described as beingperformed by another set of components of a device 700.

As indicated above, FIG. 7 is provided as an example. Other examples maydiffer from what is described with regard to FIG. 7 .

Persons of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the aspectsencompassed by the present disclosure are not limited to the particularexemplary aspects described herein. In that regard, althoughillustrative aspects have been shown and described, a wide range ofmodification, change, and substitution is contemplated in the foregoingdisclosure. It is understood that such variations may be made to theaspects without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construedbroadly and in a manner consistent with the present disclosure.

The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but isnot intended to be exhaustive or to limit the aspects to the preciseform disclosed. Modifications and variations may be made in light of theabove disclosure or may be acquired from practice of the aspects.

As used herein, the term “component” or “device” is intended to bebroadly construed as hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardwareand software. As used herein, a processor is implemented in hardware,firmware, or a combination of hardware and software.

As used herein, satisfying a threshold may, depending on the context,refer to a value being greater than the threshold, greater than or equalto the threshold, less than the threshold, less than or equal to thethreshold, equal to the threshold, or not equal to the threshold, amongother examples, or combinations thereof.

It will be apparent that systems or methods described herein may beimplemented in different forms of hardware, firmware, or a combinationof hardware and software. The actual specialized control hardware orsoftware code used to implement these systems or methods is not limitingof the aspects. Thus, the operation and behavior of the systems ormethods were described herein without reference to specific softwarecode—it being understood that software and hardware can be designed toimplement the systems or methods based, at least in part, on thedescription herein.

Even though particular combinations of features are recited in theclaims or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are notintended to limit the disclosure of various aspects. In fact, many ofthese features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in theclaims or disclosed in the specification. Although each dependent claimlisted below may directly depend on only one claim, the disclosure ofvarious aspects includes each dependent claim in combination with everyother claim in the claim set. A phrase referring to “at least one of” alist of items refers to any combination of those items, including singlemembers. As an example, “at least one of: a, b, or c” is intended tocover a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, and a-b-c, as well as any combination withmultiples of the same element (for example, a-a, a-a-a, a-a-b, a-a-c,a-b-b, a-c-c, b-b, b-b-b, b-b-c, c-c, and c-c-c or any other ordering ofa, b, and c).

No element, act, or instruction used herein should be construed ascritical or essential unless explicitly described as such. Also, as usedherein, the articles “a” and “an” are intended to include one or moreitems, and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Further, asused herein, the article “the” is intended to include one or more itemsreferenced in connection with the article “the” and may be usedinterchangeably with “the one or more.” Furthermore, as used herein, theterm “set” is intended to include one or more items (e.g., relateditems, unrelated items, a combination of related and unrelated items,etc.), and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Where onlyone item is intended, the phrase “only one” or similar language is used.Also, as used herein, the terms “has,” “have,” “having,” or the like areintended to be open-ended terms. Further, the phrase “based on” isintended to mean “based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly statedotherwise. Also, as used herein, the term “or” is intended to beinclusive when used in a series and may be used interchangeably with“and/or,” unless explicitly stated otherwise (e.g., if used incombination with “either” or “only one of”).

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: determining, by a firstclient device in a mesh network, that a second client device has joinedthe mesh network based at least in part on determining that a meshnetconnection between the first client device and the second client deviceis connected; transmitting, by the first client device based at least inpart on determining that the second client device has joined the meshnetwork, a request to receive communication information indicating ameshnet internet protocol (IP) address associated with the second clientdevice; updating, by the first client device based at least in part onreceiving the meshnet IP address, a meshnet address map to indicate anassociation of the second client device with the meshnet IP address; andtransmitting, by the first client device based at least in part onupdating the meshnet address map, meshnet data to the second clientdevice utilizing the updated meshnet address map, wherein the meshnetconnection between the first client device and the second client deviceis connected based at least in part on negotiating a cryptographic keyfor encrypted communication of the meshnet data via the meshnetconnection.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein utilizing the updatedmeshnet address map includes utilizing a native domain name server (DNS)service to refer to the updated meshnet address map to determine themeshnet IP address associated with the second client device.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein transmitting the request to receive thecommunication information includes transmitting the request to aninfrastructure device associated with the mesh network.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein updating the meshnet address map includes storing theassociation of the second client device with the meshnet IP address in amemory associated with the first client device.
 5. The method of claim1, wherein updating the meshnet address map includes replacing anassociation of the second client device with a previous meshnet IPaddress with the association of the second client device with themeshnet IP address.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting themeshnet data includes transmitting a meshnet packet including themeshnet data, the meshnet packet indicating the meshnet IP address as adestination address.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting themeshnet data includes transmitting encrypted meshnet data.
 8. A firstclient device, comprising: a memory; and a processor communicativelycoupled to the memory, the memory and the processor being configured to:determine, while the first client device is in a mesh network, that asecond client device has joined the mesh network based at least in parton determining that a meshnet connection between the first client deviceand the second client device is connected; transmit, based at least inpart on determining that the second client device has joined the meshnetwork, a request to receive communication information indicating ameshnet Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the second clientdevice; update, based at least in part on receiving the meshnet IPaddress, a meshnet address map to indicate an association of the secondclient device with the meshnet IP address; and transmit, based at leastin part on updating the meshnet address map, meshnet data to the secondclient device utilizing the updated meshnet address map, wherein themeshnet connection between the first client device and the second clientdevice is connected based at least in part on negotiating acryptographic key for encrypted communication of the meshnet data viathe meshnet connection.
 9. The infrastructure device of claim 8, whereinto utilize the updated meshnet address map, the memory and the processorare configured to utilize a native domain name server (DNS) service torefer to the updated meshnet address map to determine the meshnet IPaddress associated with the second client device.
 10. The infrastructuredevice of claim 8, wherein, to transmit the request to receive thecommunication information, the memory and the processor are configuredto transmit the request to an infrastructure device associated with themesh network.
 11. The infrastructure device of claim 8, wherein, toupdate the meshnet address map, the memory and the processor areconfigured to store the association of the second client device with themeshnet IP address in a memory associated with the first client device.12. The infrastructure device of claim 8, wherein, to update the meshnetaddress map, the memory and the processor are configured to replace anassociation of the second client device with a previous meshnet IPaddress with the association of the second client device with themeshnet IP address.
 13. The infrastructure device of claim 8, wherein,to transmit the meshnet data, the memory and the processor areconfigured to transmit a meshnet packet including the meshnet data, themeshnet packet indicating the meshnet IP address as a destinationaddress.
 14. The infrastructure device of claim 8, wherein, to transmitthe meshnet data, the memory and the processor are configured totransmit encrypted meshnet data.
 15. A non-transitory computer-readablemedium configured to store instructions, which when executed by aprocessor associated with a first client device, configure the processorto: determine, while the first client device is in a mesh network, thata second client device has joined the mesh network based at least inpart on determining that a meshnet connection between the first clientdevice and the second client device is connected; transmit, based atleast in part on determining that the second client device has joinedthe mesh network, a request to receive communication informationindicating a meshnet Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with thesecond client device; update, based at least in part on receiving themeshnet address, a meshnet address map to indicate an association of thesecond client device with the meshnet IP address; and transmit, based atleast in part on updating the meshnet address map, meshnet data to thesecond client device utilizing the updated meshnet address map, whereinthe meshnet connection between the first client device and the secondclient device is connected based at least in part on negotiating acryptographic key for encrypted communication of the meshnet date viathe meshnet connection.
 16. The non-transitory computer-readable mediumof claim 15, wherein, to utilize the updated meshnet address map, theprocessor is configured to utilize a native domain name server (DNS)service to refer to the updated meshnet address map to determine themeshnet IP address associated with the second client device.
 17. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein, totransmit the request to receive the communication information, theprocessor is configured to transmit the request to an infrastructuredevice associated with the mesh network.
 18. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein, to update the meshnetaddress map, the processor is configured to store the association of thesecond client device with the meshnet IP address in a memory associatedwith the first client device.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 15, wherein, to update the meshnet address map, theprocessor is configured to replace an association of the second clientdevice with a previous meshnet IP address with the association of thesecond client device with the meshnet IP address.
 20. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein, to transmit the meshnetdata, the processor is configured to transmit a meshnet packet includingthe meshnet data, the meshnet packet indicating the meshnet IP addressas a destination address.